Coincidence or Fate?
by Natsminime
Summary: AU! Muggle Harry/Severus. Harry and Severus are highschool age and Harry keeps trying to tell Severus about his feelings for him but never gets to.


There he was. I watched him from across the lawn, under the gigantic oak tree in front of the school as he walked out the doors of the school and down the front steps. Head down, walking at a fast pace he made his way across the lawn and in a matter of minutes he was walking only a few feet away from me. It took all of my will power not to walk to him and hug him. Or do more than that. Gods, I love him. Only problem is… he doesn't even know I exist outside of Chem lab.

As I walked out the front doors of the school I paid little attention to my surroundings, intent on just getting home as fast as possible while other people hung around and talked with friends. Friends? I don't know the meaning of the word, as I have none to speak of. I was known as a loner. Which suited me just fine. As I walked past the ancient oak tree in front of the school I saw _him_ again. The guy with glasses that's my partner in Chem lab. He was a decent lab partner as long as he wasn't left to his own devices for too long. He'd been prone to causing accidents or messing up an experiment if I didn't watch him to closely.

The next day in Chem lab I walked in and found that my partner was already there, which was surprising because usually I was there first.

"Hello" he said to me.

"Hi" I mumbled back to him. We got out our things as the rest of the class shuffled into the room and took their seats and lastly the teacher strode in.

"Good morning class!" Mr. Baugh greeted the class.

"Morning" only about half answered him back, and with half as much enthusiasm as he had.

The teacher went on to explain what that days assignment was and he listened intently because his partner hardly ever listened to what the teacher was saying.

Once the teacher was finished explaining he was off to the supply closet to gather the needed materials.

Back at his work station he placed everything on the table then explained to his partner what needed to be done. They set off to work right away. One of the things he liked about his partner was they worked in comfortable silence. There was no need for talk. The only time one of them spoke to the other was to ask for an ingredient or a tool. Half way through the class the teacher made his rounds to observe the students and critique or give helpful suggestions. There table was always last because it was in the back of the room and because he always told them that they were doing a good job, he never needed to critique or give them suggestions. It was no surprise that both were passing with A's.

The nice thing about Chem lab was it was an elective course, not a requirement. So the students that were in that class were there because they wanted to be there not because they had to be. Chem 101 was the required Chemistry class that everyone had to take in order to graduate.

The remainder of class time went by fast and ten minutes before the bell was to ring the teacher told them to stop working and they all started to clean up their messes, put things back where they belong and put their experiments on the long table under the windows where all finished experiments went to be graded. Severus took care of putting everything away because Harry didn't know where things went. He went back to his seat and gathered up his books. When the bell rang he was the first out of his seat and just as he entered the hallway he heard Harry calling to him.

"Severus!" but he didn't stop, didn't slow down, he kept going until he reached his next class and was safely in his seat in the back corner of the room. Thankfully there was no chance that Harry would follow him because his next class was on the other side of campus and Harry made it a point to never be late to his classes. The stupid perfect boy.

The next day in Chem lab things were the same as usual except this time after the "good mornings" were exchanged Harry went on to ask him "How are you?"

"Peachy" was his reply and when he stole a peak at Harry out of the corner of his eye it looked as if the boy was trying not to laugh at him, as if he'd told some kind of joke. Stupid boy he thought.

Harry didn't seem very disappointed when he didn't ask him how he was doing. Again the teacher walked in but this time it seemed as if Harry was actually paying attention to what the teacher was saying. When it was time to gather supplies Harry asked him, "mind if I go with you to gather supplies?"

"No, I suppose not" he answered so they went together to gather supplies.

When they returned to their table they set about laying things in order of when they were to be used then got started on that days experiment. Harry seemed to be working twice as hard as usual and it barely crossed his mind to wonder as to why he was working extra hard. He pushed the thought from his mind and focused on the experiment that was almost complete. He and Harry were always the first ones done with their experiments and he prided himself in it.

They both went to put things back where they belonged and Severus gathered up his things and was the first one out the door like always and again he heard Harry call to him.

"Severus! Wait!" but he didn't. He didn't know why Harry wanted to talk to him outside of class when he had every opportunity to talk inside class. Everyone else talked and socialized while working. The teacher didn't mind partners talking as long as they were working on the experiment and getting their work done.

It was a week before the end of term. Severus was graduating that year but Harry was only a Junior and so he had one more year of high school to complete.

He tried every day for a month straight to get Severus alone after class to admit to him that he had a crush on him. He just couldn't bear to do it during class. The silence they had while working was something that he cherished and he didn't want to ruin it by admitting that he had a crush on the older boy. Oh what was he to do. He steeled himself and told himself that he was going to find a way to tell Severus about his crush before he graduated. He didn't think he could bear to let the boy graduate without knowing about his feelings. He couldn't let him get away. He had this hope that maybe they could be more than… lab partners. Severus wasn't known to have friends so that would be the wrong word to use.

The next day after he had the stern talk with himself and decided to tell Severus about his feelings he was home sick with the flu. It was a Friday! There should be a rule against getting sick on a Friday!

He walked into class, not in the least surprised to be the first one there. He sat at his desk and waited for the rest of the class, his partner, and the teacher to show up. This was the last experiment before next weeks final exam. All the other students piled in followed by the teacher and when the bell rang he was very surprised that his partner was absent. Harry was never absent. Something was wrong, he just knew it. He went about his usual routine of listening to instructions, gathering supplies, and going about doing the experiment. Though things were a little harder than usual because he was partner less. Oh well, what could he do? At the end of class he put his experiment on the table, put his supplies back, then went back to his seat to wait for the bell.

After school he walked home. He lived only a couple minutes away, which was very convenient. He dumped his things in his room then went to the kitchen to get a snack. He walked through the living room to get to the kitchen and noticed that there was a message on the machine. He clicked the button to play back the message. He heard,

"Hi sweetie! I'm going to be working late tonight and there's a casserole in the oven for dinner. Love you!" and a click.

His mom working late was not unusual and was just fine by him. He walked to the kitchen, grabbed and apple then went back to the living room and picked up the phone. He dialed Harry's number. Don't ask why he had the number memorized, he just did.

After four rings he heard a cough and a mumbled,

"Hello?"

"Harry?" He asked.

"Yes, who's this?" was the hoarse reply.

"Its Severus" he said, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

There was a pause on the other line. "I didn't know you had my number. What's up?" Harry finally asked.

"You weren't in class today" was all Severus said.

"Oh yeah, I came down with the stupid flu." Harry said.

That explained the cough and the hoarse voice.

"Well, I was calling to tell you today was our last experiment and the teacher said since it's the end of the year and you haven't missed one experiment that he's letting you off and this absence won't affect your grade."

"Oh that's good. Thank you for telling me."

"Your welcome" he said, then added, "I picked up all your homework for you, can I drop it off at your house?"

"Sure, let me give you the address" Harry said.

"Okay" Severus said pretending to write it down but he didn't need to because just like Harry's phone number, he also had Harry's address memorized. Again, he had no idea why.

An hour later he stood on Harry's porch and rang the doorbell. A few minutes later a rather sick looking Harry answered and let him in.

"You look like death" Severus said by way of greeting.

"I feel like it too" Harry replied laughing a little, then coughing. When his coughing fit ended he said to Severus, "I don't want to get you sick."

"Don't worry, I had my flu shot, so I won't get sick." Severus told him.

"Oh. Well, that's good" Harry replied.

Severus handed him the stack of homework and Harry thanked him again. "Can you stay for a while?" Harry asked.

"No, sorry, I have finals to study for." Was Severus' reply.

"Oh. Okay. Can't you study here with me?" Harry asked, desperate to tell Severus about his feelings. But he couldn't do that if he was running off the minute after he arrived.

"No, I like to study alone." was the answer.

Harry frowned but said he understood and walked Severus to the door and waved goodbye to him and watched him walk back down the street.

Harry was feeling a lot better Monday morning and had thankfully gotten all of his homework done. That week was finals week, which thanks to Severus' reminder he studied for as well.

In Chem lab they said the usual "good morning" and again Harry asked Severus how he was.

"Fine, thank you. How are you?" Severus replied.

"Much better, thanks." Harry happily told him.

About two weeks ago Severus had taken to asking how Harry was as well which Harry took as progress and a step in the right directions. When the teacher walked in instead of giving them instructions he told them what their test was about and said that half the class was to go to the library to take the test so that there was no cheating since the desks were set up to seat two people. He gave everyone a number which was either one or two. The one's were to go to the library and the two's were to stay seated. The one's walked up to his desk, got their exam and walked down the hall to the library which meant that there was no way Harry was going to tell Severus about his feelings. He didn't see Severus for the rest of the day.

All week he tried telling Severus but he never got a chance to. He was really disappointed. Exam week was over and so was the school year. Graduation was the next day and Harry was attending because he had several Senior friends. If it weren't for the fact that Severus had no friends, Harry would consider him one.

Harry's last hope at telling Severus about his feelings was if he could find him after graduation. Once graduation was over Harry was the first one up and heading to the courtyard where graduates were to meet their friends and family. He searched frantically all around for Severus but never found him. Even as the crowd thinned out he still couldn't find him. He walked to the front of the school and stood under the oak tree. If he couldn't find Severus then he failed. He didn't tell him of his feelings before he graduated, and he would probably never see him again. Knowing Severus he'd probably be attending a college out of state somewhere. He looked off to his right and in the distance he could've sworn he saw someone about Severus's height with long dark hair walking into the night.

`*~`*~`*~ ONE YEAR LATER ~*`~*`~*`

Now he was the one graduating. He thought after so long his feelings for Severus would just go away but they didn't. They seemed to be doing the impossible - getting stronger. He missed him so much. Nothing was the same with out him.

The summer flew by and before he knew it he was packing up to head off to college. His adopted family didn't seem to mind that he chose a college out of state. They thought it would be a good learning experience and a good way to meet new people.

He was hugging them and saying goodbye, promising to call as often as possible and study hard. They said they were proud of him. Proud of the person he'd become and that's what he took with him as the airplane took off and gained altitude.

He loved his new college. The courses were just what he was looking for, the campus was stunningly beautiful and all the people he had encountered on his way to the dorm seemed very friendly. He walked up the five floors to his dorm and down the hall to room five one seven. He turned the knob but found it locked. He guessed his roommate was there already. He knocked on the door and waited a few minutes for his roommate to open it. Finally the door knob slowly turned and that's when Harry got his first look at his roommate. Unbelievable. He must be dreaming. Standing before him was none other than Severus Snape. The man he had a huge crush on. "I didn't know you went here!" Harry said by way of greeting. "Who would've thought we'd end up at the same college and we never once talked about it" Severus said the corners of his mouth pulling up into what looked like a smirk. Severus moved aside to allow Harry in and even helped him with his things. Severus had taken the bed on the opposite side of the room near the window, leaving the one near the door for Harry. Harry wasn't all that surprised that the room was neat and tidy. Everything Harry remembered about Severus from Chem lab suggested that he lead a neat and tidy lifestyle. Severus placed Harry's things on his bed then went back to what he'd been doing before, which was putting his clothes away. "Why did you choose to go here?" Harry asked Severus.

"The science classes here are what I need for my career as a scientist." Severus replied then asked,

"Why did you come here?"

"The math courses are just what I need to be a mathematician." Harry replied, smiling at Severus.

"Nice career choice" Severus complimented him, reminded that Harry was pretty good at math.

"Same goes for you" Harry replied. It was now or never. Harry cleared his throat, preparing to tell Severus what he'd bee trying to tell him for over a year. "Severus?" he asked, uncertain.

"Yes Harry?" came the reply.

"I have something to tell you. I - " he started but was cut off but I whispered,

"I know"

"What?" Harry asked.

"I know that you have a crush on me." Severus said.

Harry blinked a few times, unbelieving.

"You knew? Why didn't you say anything? How did you know?" Harry asked.

"I was afraid that if we started something then I graduated and moved out of state that you would get bored of me and move on to someone else, someone better looking. I saw the way you looked at me in Chem lab. The days you tried to talk to me after class. Trying to start up a longer conversation. Working harder in class. Wanting me to study with you. You were trying to impress me. Make me see that you were worthy. The thing is… I was the one that didn't feel worthy."

Harry blinked again. That was the most he'd ever heard Severus say. College changed him a little.

"You are worthy!" was the first thing Harry said but Severus just shook his head, going back to putting his things away.

Desperate times call for desperate measures he thought as he made his way across the room, turned Severus around, stood on his tip toes and leaned in to kiss Severus firmly on the mouth. The man stood rigid for a moment before relaxing and melting into the kiss.

"You are worthy" Harry said again, and after that kiss Severus believed it.

Harry started putting his things away as well, again they were working in companionable silence. How easy one could slip back into an old routine.

When they'd both finished Harry dared to ask him,

"So does this mean…?" but he couldn't bring himself to finish the questions. Thankfully for him he didn't have to. Severus answered for him,

"Yes"

College was off to a pretty good start Harry thought.

Severus informed him that it was time for dinner so they headed down to the dining hall. Lucky for Harry he didn't have to eat alone because he had Severus and to his surprise Severus wasn't a loner anymore but had quite a few friends.

"Who's your friend?" one of them asked. He had blonde shaggy hair, sapphire eyes, high cheekbones and a scar that ran diagonally on his chin.

"This is my boyfriend, Harry" Severus introduced him. Boyfriend. Harry was in bliss. A couple of the guys at the table whistled and the one that had asked, who's name he found out was Fabio said "No fair! He's cute!" and Harry and Severus both laughed, happy about the coincidence of ending up at the same college and finally being able to call the other _boyfriend. _


End file.
